The People I've Slept With

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All Rise...

Judge Brett Cullum joins the joy get lucky club!

The Charge

"A slut is just a woman with the morals of a
man."—Gabriel

The Case

Angela (Karin Anna Cheung) is a severely promiscuous woman who turns up
preggers. So what does she do? She turns to her gay best friend (Wilson Cruz, My So-Called Life) to help her figure out
who she should shanghai into thinking he is the father. Angela narrows the field
down to the five guys she has had unprotected sex with, and sets out to grab DNA
samples from each. The whole idea of having a baby changes her fundamentally,
and makes this thirty-something reconsider her policy of having sex in bar
bathrooms.

This is Hong Kong wunderkind director Quentin Lee's (Shopping for
Fangs) first outright foray into humor without any tinges of drama or
violence. It's a romantic comedy without any real traditional romance, but a
whole lot of the old bump and grind. It seeks to liberate women much in the same
way that Sex and the City did
back in its day. The only thing is that the ladies in the HBO series figured out
early on that thinking like a man in terms of sex never works out well for the
woman. The most unique thing here is that the girl is Asian, and most of her
prospects are as well. This adds a different layer to the angst, particularly
when the traditional parents have to face the reality of modern
relationships.

The film never feels all that fresh or new outside of the Oriental
orientation, but it does work on a certain level. The characters are certainly
free and easy, and they are likable all the same. There's something charming
about a girl and a gay guy who embrace being slutty with no apologies. The only
sad part is everybody seems a touch old for this kind of game, but I wonder if
there is an expiration date on fooling around a lot? When does it cross from
naughty fun to pathetic tragedy? I suppose that is exactly what the film is
examining. When do we grow up and decide to take responsibility for our
actions?

The DVD looks just fine, showcasing the independent film with natural colors
and no digital artifacts. There are two audio tracks which include a functional
surround and a serviceable stereo mix. Dialogue is front and center as it should
be, and only atmospheric noises drift into the rear speakers. Extras include two
alternate openings and a closing as well as a making of featurette. The optional
ending and openings really don't add much, but they are nice to see to get an
idea of some different ideas the filmmakers had. The making-of featurette has a
nice discussion about how the Asian American slant was what they felt gave the
film its edge.

The People I've Slept With is a turgid romantic comedy that provides
a simultaneous celebration as well as a cautionary tale about being a slut. It's
cute when it's the kids in American
Pie getting their freak on, but once high school and your twenties are
distant memories it becomes different. When you are over thirty and you're
asking "Who's your Daddy?" it seems the best you can hope for is a
recurring guest spot on the set of Jerry Springer. This is a fun little
independent movie that takes Sex and the City's ideas and runs them into
the Asian and party girl culture. It has a gay edge as well as an Asian one, and
that makes it seem a little fresher than it should.